High school is the time that teenagers start to get job experience. You can technically start working when you’re 14 or 15, but out of all the people I asked, they really started working when they were 16. That being said, there are restrictions of working when you’re underage.

According to LaborLawCenter, students that are under 18 will have restrictions on hours they can work. During school hours, minors cannot work at all. 14-15-year-olds can only work three hours on a school day while 16-17-year-olds can work six hours. During the summer (Defined as June 1st through labor day) 14-15-year-olds are allowed to work from 7 am to 9 pm, however, they can not work past 40 hours a week. 16-17-year-olds can work whenever during summer, as long as they’re not working later than 1:30 am.

Also on the site, is this: “In closing, I will note that Kentucky’s laws regarding the types of jobs that minors are able to hold are similar federal laws.  No minors under the age of 18 may work in dangerous occupations such as coal mining or logging.  Additionally, minors under the age of 16 are prohibited from jobs operating many types of machinery, or working in any manufacturing settings.”

I asked students for input on their personal experience regarding jobs in high school. One sophomore (16 years old), Marco Perez, had this to say:

I(Interviewer): So where do you work?

Big Lots

I: How long have you been working there?

About 10 months I think.

I: Does it pay well?

Yeah. I get 9.50.

I: What’s the starting wage?

9. It’s good pay compared to a lot of other places that just start with minimum wage. It’s harder work, I guess.

I: Work conditions are often a problem for underage workers. How are your work conditions?

Average is all I would say. I’m not close to the other employees or anything like that. I will say, there is no time for just hanging out. There is always busywork, if we finish what we’re doing.

There you have it. While you can work when you’re underage, there are a lot of restrictions. Marco works at Big Lots, and many other students work too.